The First Meet
by Koko Hana
Summary: This is how Prince Reyson and King Tibarn first met, taking place many years before the Serenes Massacre. Tibarn/Reyson. Shonen-ai. One shot.


Disclaimer: I do not own the Fire Emblem series or its characters. This story has an underaged looking Reyson getting romantic with a MANRY GROWN MAN looking Tibarn. If you're against this kind of thing, even though they're probably a kajillion years old, don't read it. I'm putting it as T just because of how the romantically involved characters look. I don't think a platonic relationship between a thirteen-year-old and a twenty-five-year-old is K+, heh heh...

I hope you enjoy this fic.

**The First Meet**

This was the second time Reyson had visited Phoenicis. The first time he had gone was because his father and mother wanted him to meet the king, but Reyson was very young when this happened. He was so young that he looked like a beorc child of six. It also didn't help that his good friend Naesala, the Prince of Kilvas, told him to stay away from the king and ignore him whenever he came to talk to Reyson. According to Naesala, King Phoenicis liked to take heron children that wandered away from their parents and gobble them up in a secret room behind the tapestries. And of course little Reyson believed what his friend had told him and clung to his mother's hand like glue throughout the visit. Whenever the king had come to say hello, Reyson would hide behind his mother's dress and kept quiet.

The King of Phoenicis was a tall and burly man with very heavy and frightening features. The king had long brown hair kept in a neat ponytail. He had a short beard and a moustache with a scar running from his left ear down to his neck, creating a bald space where his beard grew. His nose was large and scarred; it appeared to have been messing pieces of flesh. What surprised the young heron the most was the color of the king's skin. Most hawks he had seen had a fair or tan complexion, but the king looked… grey. It didn't help that he was wearing dark clothing that further accentuated his skin color. Naesala's warning definitely held some substance. This laguz was beastly!

The Queen of Serenes apologized for her son's behavior to which the king laughed wholeheartedly. "No worries. I think the White Prince is just shy."

When the king left, the queen kissed Reyson's forehead. "_Are you afraid of the king, little one?_"

Little Reyson nodded.

His mother giggled softly as she knelt and held her child's hands. "_I'll tell you a little secret. Promise not to tell?_"

"_I promise_."

"_King Phoenicis scares me too._"

Later on, Reyson found out that Naesala was lying to him, and that the King of Phoenicis, no matter how scary he looked, was not a pedophilic cannibal. He was mad about the lie, but at the same time he felt more ashamed for his behavior towards the king, and it was already too late for him to apologize since he had already gone back to Serenes. Reyson told his older sister Linda about what happened.

"_Next time don't believe what he says_."

"_Yes, I know, but he's my friend. What if the next time he tells me something does turn out to be true?_"

"_You'll just have to use your own judgment before you heed his words._"

Things will be different this second time around, thought Reyson as he descended to the Phoenicis Castle entrance. Twenty-five years have passed since the White Prince and his family came to the hawk nation. Reyson was much older and wiser, looking around the age of a thirteen-year-old beorc. The Heron Clan also had a new member to the family, little happy and sunny Leanne who resembling a seven-year-old beorc girl.

The herons entered the palace; they were soon escorted by a hawk butler. When the royal family stepped into the ballroom, their ears were filled with festive music and their noses with delicious smells. There were many laguz of all kinds attending the party: the royal family of Goldoa, the Lion King and his friends from Gallia, and the royal family from Kilvas. Reyson saw Naesala, now looking like an eighteen-year-old beorc, leaning against a big pillar, looking suave and nonchalant. Leanne immediately ran to Naesala's side, pulling on his shirttail while jumping up and down.

"_Naesala! Naesala! You're here too! Yay!_"

Reyson shuffled as fast as he could to their side without calling attention to himself "_Leanne please!_"

"Haha," Naesala chuckled. "Don't worry about it Reyson. Leanne is just saying hello to her dear friend, aren't you Leanne?"

"_Yes! Hello Naesala!_" Leanne giggled when Naesala pat her head.

A pretty hawk maid came around with a round tray with several glasses of wine. Naesala took a glass. "Thank you, dear," and winked at the maid.

She looked away to hide her blush. "The pleasure's all mine, Prince Kilvas. If you'll excuse me."

Naesala had a very satisfied smirk on his face as he watched the hawk maid walk away to serve the other guests. He took a sip of the wine and sighed. "If there's one thing I'll admit about Phoenicis, it's their delicious wine. No one else can make wine as fine as the hawks. Reyson do you drink wine?"

"_On occasion, but I'm not in the mood for any,_" replied the White Prince. He was holding Leanne's hand to make sure his baby sister did not wander off and get lost. "_Leanne do you want to get some nuts and berries to eat?_"

"_Ooh I'd love to, Reyson! Can we go to mommy first?_"

Reyson smiled. "_Of course we can._"

Although at times it did not seem like it, Naesala understood the ancient language perfectly well. He could not speak it, and whenever he tried, he butchered the pronunciations making whatever he was saying nonsensical. Despite that set back, Naesala prided himself in knowing how to understand the language, and therefore he could easily communicate with the herons. He enjoyed the herons' company very much, and sometimes, well actually pretty often, he took advantage of their naivety and gentleness. But he had never done anything to endanger the heron siblings, merely a few jokes or favors. His favorite victim was Reyson just because he was so easy to dupe. "Oh Reyson have you seen the new King Phoenicis yet?"

"_Hn? Oh, no I haven't. We just arrived from Serenes. Have you, Naesala?_"

"I have," the crow sipped more wine.

"_How is he like? Is he like the past King Phoenicis?_"

"It all depends."

Reyson looked confused. "_Depends?_" Leanne began to squirm under Reyson's grasp.

"Ha ha, dear Reyson you look so puzzled. There is nothing wrong with the new King of Phoenicis, although he has some… setbacks."

"_What sort of setbacks? Leanne, please stop wiggling away._"

"_But I see mommy already!_"

"_Very well, just be careful_."

Naesala grabbed Leanne's little hand and bent over to kiss it. "Please give my regards to Queen Raelene."

"_I will_," chirped Leanne with a big smile, cocking her head to her shoulder as the Crow Prince gave her hand a small kiss. As soon as Naesala let go of her hand, Leanne skipped to her mother, carefully avoiding the big cat laguz that were in the way, and hugged her mother's leg when she reached her goal.

"Such a pretty little thing," Naesala mused aloud and drank the last bit of wine.

"_What were you saying about the king again, Naesala?_"

"Oh yes, well King Phoenicis has several setbacks. One of them is that he's a pirate, or rather was one. Who knows? He might still be pirating even as a king."

"_Naesala that is not true_," huffed Reyson. "_You are you only telling me this to trick me again. I still have not forgotten about the first time I came to the hawk nation_."

"Oh Reyson, that was just me having my boyish fun. This time I am telling you the truth. You are too old to fall for my tricks, and besides I have grown out of doing that kind of thing anyhow. I swear it. I'm sorry that you still think of me in such a way."

Reyson blushed in embarrassment. "_I… I did not mean to judge_."

Naesala wrapped his right arm around Reyson's waist. "It's quite all right, Prince Reyson. We all make mistakes so don't worry. Do you want to hear other things about the king?"

Reyson nodded.

Naesala started to walk, still holding onto Reyson, leading him to the stroll. "His majesty is a very violent man. He loves to fight even if words are the best way to solve problems. He behaves like an animal too. No manners, no politeness, not even an "How do you do?" And not only that, but the king has two henchmen that spy on his very own people."

"_How do they do that?_"

"I heard from a very reliable source that one of the henchmen has amazing eye sight. He can see things clearly hundreds, nay, even thousands of miles away. And his other crony has excellent hearing. He can even hear the sound of sweat dripping down your skin miles away."

"_That's amazing_!" said Reyson with his eyes wide in amazement. He knew it was wrong to be gossiping, but something about this new king seemed very interesting to him, even if the information made him appear to be a cruel person.

"Indeed it is, young prince. But he uses them to spy on his people. And if they say anything bad about him, he kills them. Of course you may be wondering, "Oh Naesala how would you know this if he became king for less than a month?""

'Yeah how?' Reyson thought.

"Well he used to do this when he was a pirate. Any fellow pirate that opposed him in secret, he killed thanks to those henchmen. They are also known as the Eyes and Ears of the King, so be very careful what you say Reyson."

Reyson nodded furiously, not at all thinking how their situation was contradicting Naesala's information.

Naesala flipped his blue tresses away from his face, attempting to look suave to those that saw him. "And the king does not know the ancient language. The former king did, well at least he could understand, but this one is a real brute, so it will be like talking to a wall with him."

The White Prince looked at his hands and twiddled his fingers nervously. "_Well I do not think I will be conversing much with him anyhow. I'm only here because my parents want me to meet the new king_." Reyson pulled himself gently from Naesala's grasp and turned to his friend. "_Thank you for all you help, Prince Naesala. I'm so happy to have a friend like you, and I apologize again for prejudging you earlier_."

"It is not problem at all, Reyson. Give my regards to your family."

"_Of course_." Reyson bowed his head in respect and wandered through the ballroom to find his parents and siblings.

The ballroom was decorated simply, but was large enough to give all the guests, which were a lot of people, ample amount of space without being squeezed or give the feeling of suffocation. Reyson had been here before when he was much younger. He regretted not being able to enjoy the music, food, and people because of the fear he had thanks to Naesala's trick. But now the prince knew better, and Naesala was no longer trying to trick him. The Crow Prince swore that he grew out of it so there was absolutely no reason for Reyson to believe otherwise.

Reyson wandered along the ballroom, listening happily to the native hawk tribe music. It was so upbeat and happy; it almost made Reyson want to sing. The prince decided that it was best to turn back to where he last time saw his mother when he caught a glimpse at his older sister Linda.

'Oh Linda's there!' thought Reyson. 'I'll go and stay with her until I can find Father or Mother.'

He gracefully walked towards his sister, eager to speak to her about what Naesala told him about the king and how wonderful the music was, when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. A large tiger laguz moved out of Reyson's view and revealed that Linda was speaking with a very tall and very handsome hawk.

The man was over six feet in height, towering over Linda by over a foot if not more. He looked older too, looking like a beorc of twenty-five years. His large powerful wings were quite a sight to see, even when they were nestled into his back. He wore formal clothing, wearing a ruffled cravat, long green coat buttoned from chest to his waist, cream-colored pants, and long black boots. He had black hair that reached to the bottom of his neck. It did not look like much effort was put into its care or style, yet strange as it seemed, the look suited him very well. This person, to Reyson's relief, had a lightly tanned skin color. The man had two scars on his face: one scar ran vertically on his left side, barely missing his eye, while the second scar ran horizontally starting from near his left ear, crossing past the vertical scar and along his nose into the right side of his face. It was definitely intimidating to see the scars, but it felt much different with this man than when Reyson saw the former King Phoenicis. Maybe it was because this man, unlike the old king, was drop-dead gorgeous. Reyson felt terribly shallow for thinking in such a manner, but this man took his breath away.

His yellow eyes were fierce but they had a gentleness to them. He did not seem angry nor intimidating; in fact, he smiled kindly and patiently as he spoke and listened to the heron princess. Linda spoke little of the modern language, but just enough to get her by. And by the looks of things, the man wasn't having too hard a time understanding what she was saying.

Reyson suddenly felt inadequate. Leanne and himself were the only members of the heron clan that solely spoke in the ancient language. Rafiel, Lillia, and Linda knew how to speak it, and often practiced it among themselves. His father and mother, Lorazieh and Raelene, also spoke the modern language, although it was just as broken as their children's. Reyson tried to learn how to speak it, but he had never found a good reason for him to do so. For one, everyone in Serenes spoke the ancient language. Naesala and his family, though not knowing how to speak it, certainly understood the ancient language without any problems. And Reyson, through his powers from birth, understood all languages without having to speak them. But now the White Prince thought so little of himself for being so ignorant and felt jealous as his sister laughed with the beautiful man. To think that this was all because he saw a handsome hawk speaking with his older sister.

The prince still did not move from his spot. He wanted to see more of this man, but at a distance so he would not embarrass himself. 'He's so handsome, but I can't get close. I feel so stupid for refusing to learn the modern language. Oh Linda you are so lucky…'

Reyson felt a soft touch on his shoulder. It was his elder sister Lillia.

"_My brother, you look distant and sad. What's wrong?_"

"_But I am not feeling that, Lillia. I'm just looking at Linda talk to that man_."

"_Ah._ _ I see that Linda is talking to King Tibarn of Phoenicis. He's quite handsome isn't he_?"

Reyson made a confused sound.

"_You didn't know_?" Lillia gave Reyson an odd look then suddenly changed her expression as if she had remembered something. "_Oh that's right, you were not there when Tibarn approached Father. He is a very nice hawk. I think he'll make a fine king._"

"_You think so, Lillia?_" Reyson asked curiously with his gaze still on the Hawk King.

"_Of course I do. King Phoenicis is a good man. One can feel it when standing next to him._" Lillia kissed her brother's head. "_Why don't you see for yourself and meet with King Tibarn?_"

Reyson looked away in embarrassment. "_Well I would but… but I…_"

Lillia noticed her little brother's behavior and hugged him. "_Ha ha, do not worry Reyson. Everything will be fine._"

"_Truly?_"

"_Yes_," Lillia replied with a nod. "_Although I can sympathize why you do not want to approach Tibarn at this moment. You are afraid to disrupt his conversation with Linda, correct? They do look like a lovely couple, don't they?_" The heron princess blushed and put her hands against her cheeks. "_Wouldn't it be wonderful if they married? I'd love to see their children~_"

"_Y-yes…They would make a wonderful couple…_" Reyson said dejectedly.

Lillia was too preoccupied in her fantasy to discern her brother's sadness. "_I will be leaving you then, dear brother. Please talk to Tibarn when you can, but please wait until the love birds are through._"

'Oh Lillia… I know you never meant to hurt me, but I could not help but feel even worse than I already do when you spoke about the king and Linda.' Reyson sighed as he took a last glance at the king. 'I don't know why I'm even hoping for a chance. It's impossible.'

With another sigh, the heron prince slowly focused his gaze at the crowd getting himself ready to walk to the balcony for some fresh air. Reyson walked in a hurried fashion to the nearest balcony entrance. From the corner of his eye, he saw that the Hawk King had eyed him. The prince dismissed it thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him and continued to head towards his destination. He did not notice that he was being followed by the King of Phoenicis.

Treading past the curtains, which served as makeshift door, Reyson finally felt at ease when the felt the cool night winds brushed gently against his skin and wings. The stars were shining brightly and the crescent moon was smiling at the prince. Reyson began to think about King Tibarn again. He had never been so captivated by anyone like his before. It felt very nice yet nerve racking to have feelings for a person.

'It's so ironic. I haven't even met him and I'm already having romantic feelings. Lillia liked him, and apparently so did Father. He must be a good person. And he's so handsome. I didn't think that hawks could ever look so good… and so wonderfully **virile**.'

A blush began to appear on the fair prince's face. Reyson cupped his left cheek. 'My goodness I'm so incorrigible for thinking such perverse thoughts.'

Reyson was so caught up in his thoughts that he did not hear the sound of someone walking through the curtains or the heavy footsteps. "Hello," said a strong and masculine voice.

The prince was brought back to reality and turned to see the speaker. It was King Tibarn.

"Why hello," replied the king with a smile. "You must be the youngest of King Lorazieh's sons. You are Reyson, correct?"

Reyson was confused and excited and happy and, and very confused at what was happening. He wanted to reply, "Yes I am," but instead he continued to stare bewilderedly at the Hawk King.

Tibarn blinked a few times trying to figure out the expression. He scratched his head thinking of what to say to the beautiful heron. The king felt certain that he scared poor Reyson.

"Ah I'm sorry if I have frightened you, your majesty," he said apologetically. "Let me start again. Hello, I am King Tibarn of Phoenicis." Tibarn bowed, placing his hand over his heart, "I am honored to have you as a guest Prince Reyson of Serenes."

The prince's face turned pink from seeing his polite gesture. Strike one for Naesala: Tibarn did have manners. Reyson was hardly considered outspoken, but he never hesitated to speak to anyone especially if it involved something he truly believed in. However, this would have to be the Heron Prince's first time he felt at a loss for words. Mustering up the teeny tiny vocabulary he had for the modern language, Reyson answered, "H-h-h-hello."

Tibarn smiled and slowly closed the distance between the two. "It's very nice to meet you, your majesty."

Reyson couldn't think of any word in the modern language that would help continue the conversation. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying his hardest to remember his lessons. Oh why was he such a stubborn heron? The prince wanted to speak so badly with the king like his majesty had done with Linda, yet it was going to be impossible with Reyson's extremely limited vocabulary. Reyson was about to cry when he felt a warm hand touch his face. He opened his eyes and saw Tibarn looking at him with concerned eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to force yourself to speak in my language."

Reyson's face flared in excitement and embarrassment. His bright green eyes were locked on with the king's. "_I'm sorry King Tibarn. I wanted to talk to you, but I can't. I feel so ashamed that I do not know your tongue because I was too stubborn to learn it. Please forgive me._"

Tibarn sighed softly, never removing his hand from Reyson's lovely face. "I know… a little of the ancient language. I cannot speak it, but understand it… well I am limited, however I understood the basic gist of what you had just said."

Those words put a smile on Reyson's face. Maybe there was some hope for him after all, although it seemed like it would be unlikely that Tibarn would have any romantic interest in him. They were both male, but the White Prince did not care about that. Lillia was right: Tibarn was a good man, and he could feel it. It was not a wonder why Linda was having a wonderful time conversing with him, broken modern language or not. And secretly, Reyson was feeling superior to Linda in that Tibarn was touching him and not her. It made him feel special and beautiful.

'Oh that's another strike for Naesala as well… well maybe half a strike since Tibarn does not know much of the ancient language,' thought Reyson.

"You have a beautiful smile," said the king. He moved his thumb gently up and down to caress the beautiful prince's cheek. Prince Reyson was so exquisite and delicate... Tibarn was afraid that his soft touches would bruise his perfect skin. There was something about this royal heron that captured his interest.

"_Thank you, your majesty_."

Tibarn cupped Reyson's face with his other hand. He bent over to give the prince a kiss when the curtains opened furiously. A young looking hawk came flying towards the king.

"HEY YOUR MAJESTY YOU HAVE TO MEET WITH KING CAINEGHIS RIGHT NOW!"

Tibarn did not want to let go of the prince's face, but he knew he had to. With an annoyed groan, he removed himself from Reyson and turned to his messenger.

"Thank you for reminding me Janaff," he replied sarcastically. Turning to Reyson, the Hawk King grabbed his hand and asked, "Will you stay and sleep at my side tonight?"

"_I… I… I don't know, Tibarn, I mean…_"

"I promise nothing will happen, Prince Serenes."

"Come on Tibarn!" Janaff yelled impatiently. "You know how the Lion King gets when he waits too long."

The king rolled his eyes. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

"_Yes!_"

"Come again, Prince Reyson?"

"_Yes, I'll sleep with you tonight_."

Tibarn did a double take, not entirely too sure if he had heard the prince correctly. However, he figured that his mind was thinking dirty since Prince Reyson was saying it with a very straight and innocent face. He could not have literally meant having sex with the king. That would be too… unheron-like. Or so he thought, but that would be for another time.

"Ah good. I'm happy you said yes, your majesty." Tibarn turned to Janaff. "Janaff I want you to escort the prince to my room whenever he feels ready to retire."

"Yes, your majesty," replied Janaff with a bright smile.

The Hawk King released his grasp on Reyson's hand. "I will take my leave, Reyson. I hope to see you tonight."

When "tonight" came, Reyson found himself following Janaff to King Tibarn's quarters. He told his parents that he was retiring to his room and did not want to be disturbed at night because he was exhausted from the travel and festivities. As he got closer to the room, he could have sworn that he saw Naesala's wings looming about. Reyson shrugged it off and continued to follow Janaff.

"Well here we are," said Janaff as he opened the door for Reyson. "Have a good night's rest."

"T-t-thank you," Reyson answered with a bow.

Janaff smiled, "Aw it was nothing. I'll be sure to tell Tibarn that you're here. Sweet dreams, Prince."

Tibarn arrived an hour later. It was hard to get away from the party and the guests that continued to pester for his attention. He hoped Reyson was not too disappointed with his tardiness. But more so, the king hoped that the heron didn't leave.

As he approached his bed, he removed several articles of clothing. First thing that came off was that wretched cravat! Tibarn loathed wearing frilly "frou-frou" clothes. The only reason he wore it today was because all of the laguz royalty was coming to the party, so he wanted to leave a good impression.

'Tomorrow,' he decided, 'I'm going to wear the clothes I'm used to. I can cannot handle another day with clothes like this.'

To his surprise and relief, Reyson was sleeping soundly on his bed. Tibarn smiled at the beautiful prince. He almost went into bed without **any** clothes, since he was accustomed to do so, but then he remembered that Reyson would be next to him… yes that would not be a good idea at all. He quickly put on a pair of comfortable shorts and rushed to his bed, not wanting to have any more stalls.

He caressed the prince's blonde tresses lightly, careful not to wake him up. He slowly descended his hand towards Reyson's white wings, but decided not to. Every bird laguz, no matter the type be it heron, crow, or hawk, has a different wing sensitivity. For all Tibarn knew, Reyson could be the ultra-sensitive type and jump five feet because someone _breathed_ on their wings.

Tibarn wanted to do more but he was feeling very tired. Perhaps in the morning? He wondered how much Reyson would permit him to touch. The Hawk King could not help but think in that manner. Reyson was so beautiful and graceful that it would be a sin to even think of him in a sexual manner. But then again, there was something about the White Prince that was seductive and begged to be defiled like a common whore.

'This heron is dangerous,' thought the king. 'But I do not think I would have it any other way.' He laid closely next to the sleeping beauty and wrapped his arm around the prince's waist, snuggling close to him. Tibarn took a deep breath and smelled Reyson's essence. He smelled like flowers and the sea. He must have picked up that scent as he was traveling to Phoenicis with his family, thought Tibarn. With a yawn the king drifted off to sleep.

Reyson woke up, opening one eye. 'As soon as I go back home…' he thought sleepily, 'I'm going to learn how to speak the modern language.'

END


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